


Grey Eyed Girl, Blue Eyed Boy

by Dragongoddess13



Series: Steel and Ice [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gendry is a Baratheon, Gendrya - Freeform, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, robert baratheon isn't a total bastard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-06-27 07:40:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19786312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: The first time Gendry meets the wolf hound, he’s just trying to eat his lunch.





	1. Part I: Gendry Baratheon

**Author's Note:**

> my first Gendry/GOT fic. The story gets slightly more complex and detailed as the chapters progress

Grey Eyed Girl, Blue Eyed Boy

Part I: Gendry Baratheon

xXx

The first time Gendry meets the wolf hound, he’s just trying to eat his lunch. He’s got the week off work, long overdue, and he’s thoroughly enjoying the peaceful autumn breeze in Godswood Park. He’s just taken a massive bite of his ‘artisan’ sandwich, (that’s what Hot Pie insists on calling it, Gendry doesn’t know why it’s just a BLT with cheese, but Hot Pie knows his craft and far be it from Gendry to argue with him), and is trying not to moan out loud over it, (just because he doesn’t understand the need for fancy terms does not mean it’s not the best BLT he’s ever eaten), when the massive grey and white wolf hound trots up and plants herself at his feet. She stares up at him as if waiting for something and it doesn’t take long for him to realize she wants a bite of his sandwich. He can’t blame her, Hot Pie is a culinary genius, but he’s starving and he’s not willing to share, no matter how cute her pretty grey face is. 

Gendry keeps eating, trying not to make eye contact with the dog too much, he doesn’t want her to think he’s taunting her, and finishes a little quicker than he would have liked. Even when the sandwich is gone though, she continues to sit there, staring at him. Its at this point that he begins to fear she may not have been looking at his sandwich as food. She’s a massive animal after all, if he didn’t know better, in fact, he’d think she was a dire wolf. She licks her muzzle once then inches forward, resting her head on his knee and sniffs his hand. 

“Well, you’re very well behaved if nothing else.” he tells her, running his other hand through her fur. He suspects she’s trained and while he can’t see a collar that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s been abandoned. Additionally she’s well groomed and a bit hefty, so if by some chance she has been abandoned, it’s most likely only been a few days at most. 

Gendry finds himself relaxing even more as they sit there in silence, his fingers enjoying the feel of her soft fur and the warmth of her head against his thigh. He thinks for a moment that he might drift off to sleep. It wouldn’t be difficult, he’d merely need to close his eyes, let the light breeze ruffle his hair and focus on the soft feel of her fur under his hand…

...but then a sharp whistle sounds off in the distance and the Wolf hound sits up, head whipping around in the direction of the sound and without a glance back she darts off into the tree line a few yards away. Gendry sits a bit dumbfounded for a moment. “Well okay.” he eventually says out loud, standing from the bench and walking home. 

He sees the wolf hound again the next day. He’s there for lunch again, this time enjoying what Hot Pie had dubbed his greatest creation to date, (and Gendry is loath to disagree) when she plops herself down at his feet again, looking up with the same dark eyes as the day before. She’s not begging, not at all, but she watches him, perhaps hoping he’ll give her a bite. Taking pity this time, he pulls a piece of chipped turkey from the between the bread and holds it out to her. She takes it so gently, it can only be described as reverent. 

_ “She’s definitely trained.” _ he thinks to himself, scratching behind her ear as she finishes and happily receives another bite. Gendry finishes his sandwich and then like the day before, the hound scoots forward, resting her head against his knee and they just sit there, enjoying the wonderful sounds of nature as the clouds roll by on a crisp clear autumn day. 

This is what he loves most about living in Winterfell. Having grown up in Storm’s End in the south he missed most of the seasons. Even during the rainy season it failed to get this cold. In the south it always felt like summer, even when it wasn’t, but here, he could watch the seasons go by. Sure the winters were harsher than he would like, but the mild summers, colorful falls and bountiful springs were well worth it. 

It was hard to believe he would ever get the chance to live here, so far from home. As the third child of Robert Baratheon by his second wife, Gendry had everything he needed growing up, but he always felt like something was missing. He had plenty of half siblings to keep him company, and unlike his father’s other ex-wives, he and Gendry’s mother had ended things on better terms, enough so that she didn’t wish him dead every time his name was uttered aloud. When she died, Robert brought him into his home full time, along with his new wife and children and Gendry was happy. Or as happy as he could be with such a poignant loss. 

Gendry studied engineering, loving the practice of working with his hands, creating a whole from pieces. He did quite well for himself too. He graduated top of his class and managed to earn a great position for himself in his new stepmother’s family’s company, Lannister Consolidated. He got there on merit, of course, the woman didn’t really seem to like him all that much, then again, she didn’t seem to like his father either. That fact became prevalent when she was caught having an affair two years later, forcing his father to file for divorce. Not long after that, Gendry was let go for some bogus reason or another and he took only a modicum of solace in the fact that Tyrion, his boss and ex-stepmother’s brother, didn’t particularly want to fire him. 

Robert Baratheon wasn’t the most emotionally healthy man, hence all of his failed marriages, but he did show a great deal of remorse for Gendry’s firing. He knew how much he loved that job and the work he was doing and even if he wouldn’t admit it openly, he loved his children and wanted the best of them. 

Gendry was just settling into the job hunt when he received a call from Tyrion Lannister. A small part of him hoped he would get his job back, but as it turned out, something much better had come along. There was an opening for a senior project manager at Stark Industries and Tyrion had recommended him for the job. The woman in charge of hiring for the position, Sansa Stark-Greyjoy, was a professional acquaintance who had become a dear friend, and when she confided in him that she was having trouble finding someone to fill the position, he’d jumped at the chance to tell her all about Gendry.

It was a quick flight up the coast and a sharp right inland, before he was meeting with Sansa, wowing her with his portfolio and flying back to Storm’s End to pack up his life and ship it up North. 

That was a year ago, and oh what a year it had been. He’d met the Stark Family, made friends with the oldest sons and cousin, fell madly in love with a woman who barely spoke to him when she was around and had already gotten a promotion. Hence the week off before he started his new position as Vice President of Research and Development. 

Gendry looked down as the wolfhound stirred. The grey of her fur reminded him of the grey of The Stark’s eyes. One Stark in particular, Arya Stark. Arya Stark was a wild spark of adrenaline, shot directly into his heart every time he laid eyes on her. She was a wonderful balance of ladylike grace and cut throat hostility. One minute she spoke as though she were a princess, soft spoken, polite, and well mannered and the next she was a roughian, fighting for the little guy and cursing obscenely at anyone who dared tell her to sit down and be quiet. The moment he met her he knew he wanted to  _ know  _ her. He wanted to talk to her and understand her and just bask in her presence, but whenever she was around she barely acknowledged him. He and her cousin Jon, who she was quite close too, were thick as thieves within a few months of meeting, and they spent a lot of time together, Jon folding him into his group of friends rather easily. But even then, when they were all together he didn’t get anymore than a quick hello or a nod.

He supposed it just wasn’t meant to be, he’d have to get over it eventually, let himself move on. She wasn’t the only woman in the world, though sometimes it felt like it, and honestly, aside from the stories Jon and Robb told him, Gendry didn’t really know her. Though he couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to know her after Jon got done telling them about her latest adventure, exploring some ancient caves or diving the ocean as deep as the human body could stand. She lived her life exploring, discovering history and learning from the past. Putting her archeology degree and the others he was impressed to hear she’d earned, to practical use. 

In fact, just before he took his time off, Jon was telling him all about the offer she’d received to star in her own show on one of those science channels after her latest book had been released. He was… he supposed too embarrassed to admit to anyone he’d read all of her books, five of them in total including a memoir of her time studying the burial sites of ancient warrior queens. It was a lot more fascinating than he’d ever thought it could be. 

The same sharp whistle from the day before sounded, startling Gendry out his thoughts and he watched as the hound turned and bounded into the woods once again. 

On the third day, on a hunch, Gendry bought two sandwiches and watched in complete amusement when Hot Pie found out he planned to feed a dog with the second one. He’d feel a lot worse about it if Hot Pie wasn’t known for his dramatics. In the end his friend admitted that he should probably take it as a compliment that a refined breed such as Gendry described would love his food so much and made the sandwich, ensuring that it was safe for canine consumption. 

Like clockwork, the dog showed up again, and very politely accepted his offering. “Now don’t tell your owner alright. This’ll be just between you and me.” he winked at dog and boofed softly as if she understood, before turning to her gift and eating happily. Like the two days before they sat in companionable silence, enjoying the afternoon and around the same time as the other days, the sharp whistle called the dog into the woods. 

The next day was the same, he even brought her another sandwich. This time however, she jumped up on the bench with him, laying her head on his thigh. This week was the most relaxed he’d felt in ages and he considered that perhaps he should get a dog of his own. The sharp whistle sounded and the hound ran off and Gendry picked himself up off the bench and once she was out of sight, leisurely strolled back to his flat for a nap. 

On Friday everything changed. 

Two sandwiches in hand, Gendry took a seat on the same bench as always and right on time, the wolf hound trotted up, sitting at his feet and happily accepting the sandwich he offered her. He had just finished his, turning to toss the paper wrapped in the recycle bin beside the bench when a familiar voice called out, startling him to near choking. 

“So this is where you keep disappearing to.” Arya Stark said. It was accusing and yet teasing at the same time. “You little tramp. And here I thought you were sowing your wild oats with another stray. You better not be bothering this nice man.” she laughed. Gendry turned and the smile was gone in an instant. “Gendry?” she said, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why she would be startled to see him. 

“So you do know my name.” he replied without thinking, immediately wishing he had kept his mouth shut, convincing himself that he had not in fact seen a look of hurt cross her beautiful grey eyes. 

“Of course I know your name. You’re one of Jon’s closest friends. Why wouldn’t I?” 

He didn’t have an answer for that, though he supposed the idea that she knew exactly who he was and didn’t want anything to do with him was as clear a message as it could get. 

“Have you been feeding her all week?” she asked. 

“No,” he replied. “Just since Wednesday. She just sort of appeared on Monday and watched as I ate, and then again on Tuesday. I guess I just felt bad eating in front of her.” 

Arya huffed a laugh, sliding onto the bench beside him. “Yes well, she’s eating for more than herself these days.” 

“She’s pregnant?” 

Arya nodded. “Got a little friendly with a dog on our last dig down in Riverland. Now we’re grounded in Winterfell until the puppies come and they can be adopted out.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that?” Gendry told her.

She looked confused. “Why’s that?” 

“Well, with the way Jon talks about you, you don’t really seem like the type who likes to sit in one place for long.” he explained and he knew he didn’t imagine the blush on her face. 

“It won’t be so bad.” she eventually replied. “I’ve been thinking about taking a break for a little while anyway. Maybe teach. Winterfell University has been hounding me to take up a class or two.” 

“Well, then, I guess everything worked out for the better.” Gendry added, thoroughly enjoying the soft smile she gave him. His heart fluttered a bit and he cursed himself to get a grip. “Can I ask what her name is?” 

“Nymeria.” Arya told him. Reacting to her name, the massive dog looked up, licking at her muzzle. She scooted forward, her sandwich now finished and laid her massive head on his knee, like she had the previous four days. “She certainly seems to like you.” she smiled as she watched him scratch behind her ears. 

“The feeling is mutual.” he told her. “She may have sold me on the idea of getting a dog of my own.” 

“Well, if you want to start from the beginning, I’ll have a litter of puppies in a few months.” she laughed. 

Gendry chuckled. “I might just take you up on that.” 

They sat in companionable silence for a bit. Gendry was certain this was the longest conversation he’d ever held with the youngest Stark sister. It was better than he had imagined and for a moment he forgot all about the fact that she had basically avoided him for a year. 

A breeze blew through, picking up the paper wrapper at Nymeria’s feet and Arya reached out to grab it before it could get away. 

“Hot Pie’s?” she asked. 

He nodded. “Have you heard of it?” he asked. 

“Heard of it? I love it. It’s the first place I stop to eat whenever I get home from a long trip.” she explained. 

Gendry didn’t know what came over him in that moment, but before he could stop himself he found himself asking;

“I was going to go back for dinner tonight, would you care to join me?” he did a novel job not flinching when he realized what he’d done. Despite that he felt a momentary flutter of hope when she appeared to think about it, which only saw to it that his fall from nirvana was that much more painful. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” she told him. “I promised Sansa I’d meet her for dinner tonight.” she continued. Well at least she wasn’t turning him down because she wasn’t interested. “But I’m free for lunch tomorrow if that’s alright.” she added.

It took Gendry a moment to process what she’d said and he had to concentrate on not overreacting. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.” 

“Great. I have to take Nymeria to the vet in the morning, so how about we meet around 12:30?” 

“Can’t wait.” he smiled, feeling his heart flutter at the almost shy smile she gave him.  



	2. Part II: Arya Stark

Grey Eyed Girl, Blue Eyed Boy

Part II: Arya Stark

xXx

_ “How much time do you have before the train leaves?” _ Sansa’s voice was a welcome comfort after three months in the Riverland rainy season. Between her time spent on site at her dig and the travel back and forth to the local museum for research, she’d barely had time to talk to any of her family members while she was away. Thankfully she had Nymeria to keep her company, though the giant Wolfhound had left her side briefly a few days prior only to wander back to the dig site exhausted. 

The point was, the only company she’d had were the grad students who’d signed on to her project for the experience and the Ph.D candidates looking to pad their transcripts before defending their theses. And quite frankly, she missed her siblings fiercely, especially Sansa. Arya had never been more grateful that they’d grown out of their immature distaste for each other. She didn’t know what she would do without her big sister. 

“About twenty minutes if the engineer intends to leave on time.” Arya replied, kicking off her shoes and laying out on the seat. She was lucky enough to grab the last private sleeper car before the train filled up. 

_ “Do you want me to pick you up from the train station in the morning?”  _

“No, that’s alright, the museum is sending a car. I have to escort the artifacts there before I can go home.” 

_ “Alright, well, when you’re all rested up, we should meet for dinner or something. It’s been too long.”  _ Sansa told her. 

“That sounds nice. How about you meet me tomorrow night at the cottage and we can walk to Hot Pie’s?” 

_ “That sounds amazing. I haven’t been there since before you left.”  _

“It’s a date then.” Arya replied immediately regretting it.

_ “Speaking of date…” _ Arya groaned.  _ “Theon and I are having a party for Gendry this coming Saturday. Can I put you down on the guest list?”  _

“I suppose. What’s the party for? It’s not his birthday yet.” she could practically hear his sister’s grin. 

_ “You know when Gendry’s birthday is?” _ she teased. 

“Sansa.” she warned. 

With a chuckle, Sansa continued.  _ “He got a promotion. It’s a congratulations party.” _

“Promoted to what?” Arya questioned. 

_ “Vice President of R and D.” _ Sansa replied.  _ “It really wasn’t a difficult decision, he’s the best for the job hands down.”  _

“Good for him.” Arya replied, settling down onto the seat and closing her eyes. She felt like she could drift off just like that, but then Sansa spoke up again.

_ “You know if you wanted to you could use the party as the perfect excuse to ‘Congratulate him’.”  _ Arya had little doubt exactly what she meant by that. 

“Yes, I’m sure this party will magically erase my inability to speak to him without becoming a stuttering mess.” 

_ “Oh, come on. It’s not that bad. If it helps at all he definitely likes you too.”  _ Sansa replied. 

Arya snorted. “I doubt that.” she was pretty sure Sansa rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t be totally sure. 

_ “The man is seriously infatuated with you. He hangs on Jon’s every word when he’s relaying your stories from abroad.” _

“Sansa, your grasping.” 

_ “Am I? Is it also grasping that Theon spotted your books the last time he was at Gendry’s flat?”  _

“Yes. He’s allowed to have an interest in Archeology without an ulterior motive.” 

_ “But he only reads  _ your  _ books. There were no other archeology related books on the shelf.” _ when Arya didn’t reply, Sansa sighed.  _ “Arya, you have to trust me on this. The man is crushing hard.”  _

It was Arya’s turn to sigh. “Whether that’s true or not it doesn’t really matter does it? I can’t even put a full sentence together when he’s around.” she scoffed. “Stupid bull. Why does he have to be so pretty?” she whined. Sansa laughed. “Don’t laugh at your poor baby sister, Sansi, I’m in mourning here.” 

_ “Mourning for what?” _ She laughed. 

“My dignity!” Arya exclaimed sitting up abruptly. Nymeria sat up startled, looking around for trouble. When she found none she laid back down. “Honestly, I’ve managed to go twenty-eight years without turning into a hormonal mess around men.” 

_ “A feat I applaud. Seriously, I have so much respect for you remaining a virgin all these years, especially in this day and age with all the men who’ve been sniffing around you like mutts for years, but in my honest opinion, there is no better man to lose it with than one you can’t form full sentences around.” _

Arya scoffed. “How do you figure that?” 

_ “Its proof that your really attracted to him.” _ she explained. 

Arya sighed again, slipping down onto the cushions again. “He’s just so pretty… and tall…” she said wistfully. 

Sansa hummed.  _ “He really is. I bet he could carry you around without breaking a sweat. Listen, when you finally get to see the goods, you have to tell me if he’s proportional.”  _

“Oh my… no… I’m not… bloody hell Sansa.” Arya began outraged. It quickly faded into laughter. “What is the matter with you?” 

_ “What? It’s a perfectly legitimate question. I mean the man is over six feet tall and packed with muscle. The company rugby team doesn’t call him The Bull for nothing.”  _

Arya sighed once again as the train lurched forward, beginning to roll out of the Riverland station. “The train is leaving now.” she said. “I should try to get some work done before I head for the dinner car.”

_ “Alright, be careful, you know how I worry about you traveling alone.”  _ Sansa replied. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got Nymeria here to protect me.” she chuckled. “I’ll text you when I reach Winterfell and then I’ll see you tomorrow night.” 

_ “Sounds good. Love you.” _

“Love you too.” 

Arya hung up, setting her phone on the small table under the window. She looked down at Nymeria lounging on the floor. “You’ll still love me if I become a pathetic spinster won’t you Nymie?” Nymeria simply rolled over, snoring lightly. “Oh fine, see if I get you another peanut butter hoof anytime soon.” 

The rest of the train ride was spent alternating between going over her research notes and texting back and forth with her sister. She got up once to get dinner, but wasn’t gone for very long and after a few more hours of work, she extended the bed from the bench, got ready for bed and slipped in, drifting off to dreams of beautiful blue eyes and dark raven hair. 

xXx

Arya Stark had fallen in love with the ancient world at a young age. It was a particularly rainy summer in her thirteenth year, and her father, intent on not letting his children rot away playing video games all summer. So, he hustled them all from museum to museum on and off for three months. Arya’s favorite part was the history museum. Seeing the ancient artifacts, learning about past civilizations, studying their unique and rich cultures, learning where they had come from and how far they had left to go. It didn’t take long for her to decide that that is what she wanted to do with her life. She could think of no better life than traveling the world and seeing everything it had to offer. 

She worked her way through school, studying hard to reach her goals and she succeeded, heading off to college two years earlier than any of her siblings. She worked through course after course, absorbing everything she could. Before she knew it, she had made a name for herself in the Archeological world. She was brave, fearless, ready to go where others hesitated to. She explored the deepest caves, dove as far into the murky depths of the ocean as the human body would allow and learned at the elbow of the greatest names in their field. 

It was the best life she could ever have hoped to live.

She regretted nothing, she had no reason to. She was proud of her accomplishments as she should be. Her family was proud of her too, praising her for her achievements and she felt whole, complete, like nothing could ever be as good as this. But as the years wore on, Arya began to realize her Wanderlust was fading. She still looked forward to dig sights in far away places, but with each offer to teach that came in she began to consider it more and more. It wouldn’t be so bad really. Sharing her experiences with students like she had once been. Giving them hope that they too could live their dreams and discover they’re true passions. It was rather appealing actually. And she knew for a fact that her family would love to have her around more. Honestly, it was even more appealing the offer for the television series. 

“I think you should do it. Of course I’m biased.” Sansa told her over dinner. They were sitting outside, the cool autumn air just perfect for an early dinner. Arya hummed absently, pushing around her fries with a fork. Sansa watched her suspiciously. “Am I boring you baby sister?” she finally asked. 

Arya sighed, setting her fork aside and sitting back in her chair. “No, I just… I’m worried about Nymeria?” she said. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“She’s been acting very lethargic since we left Riverland. The only time she showed any real energy was when I let her out to run around and even that wasn’t the same. She went and hid somewhere until I whistled for her to come back in.” she explained. “I’m worried she may have caught something from the tombs.” 

“Are you feeling ill?” Sansa asked concern lacing her tone. 

“No, but the old mold spores may incubate faster in a dog than a human. WE all wore protective rebreathers, but she didn’t.” she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I made an appointment at the vet first thing in the morning.” 

“You’ll let me know how it goes?” 

“Of course.” 

“Good, now, there’s no use stressing until you know for sure, so, let’s get back to the subject at hand, shall we? To teach or not to teach?” 

“That is the question.” 

Fourteen hours later, Sansa picked up her cell phone and barely got a hello out before Arya replies;

_ “She’s pregnant.”  _

“Who? Nymeria?”

_ “Yes Nymeria. The little tramp is pregnant. With puppies!” _

“That is typically what female dogs give birth to.” Sansa replied. “But I thought you had her fixed?”

_ “So did I. Apparently I got ripped off by that pop up clinic.”  _

“Bloody hell.” Sansa sighed, sinking back into her office chair. 

_ “This is insane. I can’t have puppies.” _ Arya sounded panicked and it took everything in Sansa not to laugh. 

“You’re not having anything, Arya, Nymeria is, and once they’re old enough to be weaned off of her milk, you can adopt them out.” 

_ “This is ridiculous.”  _ Arya sighed.  _ “I guess I don’t have to be concerned with letting her roam around anymore, I mean it’s not like she can get knocked up again.” _

Sansa laughed, even as Theon entered her office, watching her confused. 

_ “It’s not funny Sansa.”  _

“Yes, actually, it is. Just think, Arya, your dog gets more action than you do.” her grin widened as Theon snorted. 

_ “Oh my god, I can not believe you went there.” _ she sounded outraged, but Sansa could hear the laughter in her voice.  _ “I’m hanging up now.” _

“Bye.” she said through her laughter. 

xXx

Nymeria disappeared again that afternoon, hiding out for nearly two hours before Arya whistled for her. She came bounding back through the woods, her energy far better than it had been in the last few days, so where ever she had been, Arya didn’t think she had much to worry about. 

“Is that turkey on your breath?” she asked as she knelt in front of the hound. She merely panted happily, before ducking around her and going inside to lay out on her bed. 

Arya huffed. “Well alright then.” she muttered, standing to height and returning to the house. 

Arya’s home was small but comfortable. A little modern cottage right on the back edge of Godswood Park. As much as she loved coming home to see her family and friends, she loved coming back to her little cabin even more, especially at this time of year. The autumn leaves were the most vibrant red she’d ever seen and the cool breeze that blew through them, sending them to the lush green grass of her small lawn relaxed her more than any other place ever had. No matter where she went, no matter how long she was gone, Winterfell would always be home.

Arya had spent most of the day organizing her notes. Her current project, the excavation of an ancient tomb in the Riverland valleys, was proving to be more fruitful than anyone had originally thought. There was serious speculation that they may have found the tomb of the youngest Liege lord in Westeros history, though what she was doing in Riverland was anyone's guess, since she was reputed to have lorded over Bear Island in the Bay of Ice. The running theory was that she had married into a reputed house in the area, back when it was referred to as simply, The Riverlands. 

All of the information was shaping into a wonderful mystery that she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into. It was very possible she found the subject for her next book, though she didn’t want to jump the gun. There was still plenty of research to do and the excavation wasn’t anywhere near completion, though now that Nymeria was pregnant she most likely wouldn’t be traveling back to Riverland as much as she normally would have. That was fine though, there was just as much to learn from books as there was to learn from what they dug out of the ground. 

The next afternoon, Nymeria disappeared again, but like always she returned when called. “Alright, what have you been getting into? You reek of turkey again.” Nymeria boofed softly, snuffling a bit before curling up on her bed and drifting into a light doze. “It’s a good thing you’re cute, you know that?” 

“She’s pregnant, she’s probably nesting.” Theon said, offering Sansa and Arya a glass of wine before taking a seat on the sofa beside his wife later that night.

“That makes sense.” Sansa replied, watching her sister run her fingers through Nymeria’s fur where she was sprawled out on the opposite sofa beside Arya. 

“Yes but where?” Arya asked. “And does she intend to have the puppies there?” 

“Probably.” Theon said. “You’ll just have to keep a closer eye on her as she gets closer to her due date.” 

Arya simply hummed in agreement. After a moment, Sansa spoke up.

“So, about Gendry’s party.” she began. “We need your help with it.” 

“Sure, what do you need me to do?” 

They hesitated, sharing a look. “Well, this is going to sound like we’re trying to set you up, but I promise, we’re not.” Theon explained, grimacing a bit. 

“We need you to distract Gendry Saturday night. Get him to our house so we can surprise him.”

“Me? We barely speak. You don’t think that will be strange?” Arya asked. 

“Yes, but you’re the only one who can.” Sansa explained. “Everyone else is taking care of something else, or they can’t get away in enough time to distract him.” 

“What am I supposed to say?”

“Well, we were thinking you could ask him out.” Theon told her. “It’s the perfect excuse to finally take that leap.”

“And we know he’ll agree, there’s no doubt about that.” Sansa added. 

“How can you be so sure.” 

“Because he’s crazy about you.” Theon replied immediately. 

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” 

“Because it’s true. He tries to hide it but he’s terrible at it. Pretty sure if you asked him out he’d faint.” 

Arya didn’t know what to say to that. Sansa had told her before that Gendry was attracted to her, but she just knows she’s reading too much into things. 

Eventually she sighed. “I’ll think about it.” 

xXx

Thursday is the last straw. When Nymeria comes back, breath smelling like turkey once again, she resolves to find out exactly what’s going on. So, the next afternoon, she lets Nymeria out like usual, giving her a little while to run around and go about her usual routine, before she goes out after her. 

It took nearly half an hour to find her, first checking the line of shrubs that fenced her small yard in, separating it from the park land. After that she tracks her through the park, eventually coming out in the open picnic area and spotting her wolfhound standing next to an occupied bench. The man sitting there was turned away, reaching for the recycle bin as she approaches. Nymeria is hunched over and as Arya gets closer she can see the sandwich on the ground. So that’s what’s been going on. 

“So this is where you keep disappearing to.” she said. She was so relieved she found she couldn’t hide her amusement. “You little tramp. And here I thought you were sowing your wild oats with another stray. You better not be bothering this nice man.” she looked to said man, freezing as he turned to face her. “Gendry?” she cursed herself for sounding startled. There was no reason for her to be startled. Godswood was the biggest park in Winterfell, it only made sense that he might end up here at some point. 

“So you do know my name.” he replied. She didn’t know why that stung so much. Maybe it was because, for a split second, she’d picked up a note bitterness in his voice. 

“Of course I know your name. You’re one of Jon’s closest friends. Why wouldn’t I?” 

He doesn’t answer and she’s worried she may have insulted him. As she stood there watching Nymeria eat, she considered the man sitting before her. Even sitting down he couldn’t hide his massive height, balanced out by the boardness of his shoulders. At over a foot taller than her, he dwarfed her whenever they stood near each other, and that wasn’t very much as she tended to avoid him when she could. 

From the moment she had met him, she’d been attracted to him. Honestly, she can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be. Over six feet tall, packed with muscle, brilliant blue eyes, dark hair, he was gorgeous and anyone who didn’t think so was most likely blind. You didn’t have to be physically attracted to him to appreciate him. It didn’t hurt that he was sweet and funny and completely humble. Sometimes he was even shy, which only reinforced his general air of gentle giant. 

Arya wasn’t a shy person. She was known for being tough and opinionated, but the minute she tried to speak with Gendry, the words wouldn’t form. She’d stuttered over a simple greeting, struggled to start a conversation. It was embarrassing. So embarrassing that she’d avoided conversation with him all together after that. 

Now, hearing this from him, Arya realized Sansa may have been right, and her self imposed distance had given him the wrong impression. 

“Have you been feeding her all week?” she asked, stepping a little closer. 

“No,” he replied. “Just since Wednesday. She just sort of appeared on Monday and watched as I ate, and then again on Tuesday. I guess I just felt bad eating in front of her.” 

Arya huffed a laugh, sliding onto the bench beside him. “Yes well, she’s eating for more than herself these days.” 

“She’s pregnant?” 

Arya nodded. “Got a little friendly with a dog on our last dig down in Riverland. Now we’re grounded in Winterfell until the puppies come and they can be adopted out.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that?” Gendry told her.

Arya was confused to say the least. “Why’s that?” 

“Well, with the way Jon talks about you, you don’t really seem like the type who likes to sit in one place for long.” he explained and once again Arya thought about what Sansa had told her. How he always listened when Jon told them stories of her travels.

“It won’t be so bad.” she eventually replied. “I’ve been thinking about taking a break for a little while anyway. Maybe teach. Winterfell University has been hounding me to take up a class or two.” 

“Well, then I guess everything worked out for the better.” Gendry added. Arya smiled softly. Maybe they really had. “Can I ask what her name is?” 

“Nymeria.” Arya told him. Reacting to her name, the massive dog looked up, licking at her muzzle. She scooted forward, her sandwich now finished and laid her massive head on his knee, just like she had the previous four days. “She certainly seems to like you.” she smiled as she watched him scratch behind her ears. What was that saying, always trust a dog’s instincts? Well she definitely trusted Nymeria. She’d raised her from a puppy, the tiny dog, growing into a massive hound right before her eyes. She had no reason not to trust her instincts, only reinforcing the idea that he was an all around good guy. 

“The feeling is mutual,” he said. “She may have sold me on the idea of getting a dog of my own.” 

“Well, if you want to start from the beginning, I’ll have a litter of puppies in a few months.” she laughed. 

Gendry chuckled. “I might just take you up on that.” 

They sat in companionable silence for a bit. Arya was pretty proud of herself. She hadn’t been able to form full sentences around him for nearly a year and here she was, holding a conversation with him. Maybe she had been overthinking things a bit too much. Maybe all it took was finding something they could talk about without any pressure. 

A breeze blew through, picking up the paper wrapper at Nymeria’s feet and Arya reached out to grab it before it could get away. 

“Hot Pie’s?” she asked. 

He nodded. “Have you heard of it?” he asked. 

“Heard of it? I love it. It’s the first place I stop to eat whenever I get home from a long trip.” she explained smiling. And then the most unexpected thing happened. 

“I was going to go back for dinner tonight, would you care to join me?” he asked. Arya stopped herself from jumping on the opportunity, remembering that she had already made plans to help Sansa finish planning Gendry’s surprise party. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” she finally replied. “I promised Sansa I’d meet her for dinner tonight.” she continued. He looked a little dejected and she quickly continued. “But I’m free for lunch tomorrow if that’s alright.” 

There was a moment where she thought he hadn’t heard her, but then he was smiling. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.” 

“Great. I have to take Nymeria to the vet in the morning, so how about we meet around 12:30?” 

“Sounds good.”  



	3. Part III: Gendry and Arya

Grey Eyed Girl, Blue Eyed Boy

Part III: Gendry and Arya

xXx

Arya plopped down, rather abruptly, in the seat across from Sansa. The older Stark looked up from her menu surprised. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Where’s Jon and Theon?” 

“At the bar.” Sansa replied. “What’s wrong?” 

Arya took a deep breath and then let it out in one long string. “I followed Nymeria today and figured out where she was going and it was  _ Gendry _ . She was spending all this time this week with Gendry and he was feeding her sandwiches from Hot Pie’s and she really likes him and I ended up having a conversation with him, like a real conversation, no stuttering or anything and he asked me out and I said yes.” 

Sansa stared at her for awhile, and Arya worried she’d have to repeat all of that. “Oh my god, are you kidding me?” she grinned, laughing. “Only you would find yourself in a romantic comedy.” 

Arya rolled her eyes. “It’s not a romantic comedy. This is serious, what am I supposed to do? What if I suddenly can’t talk to him again?” 

“Arya, you’ll be fine.” Sansa told her, setting the menu aside. “Just do what you did today.”

“What? Chase down my dog, who I’m pretty sure is in love with him and I don’t think it has anything to do with the food he’s been feeding her, and talk about how she’s pregnant and how he might adopt one of her puppies?” 

“Well, that might get a little old after awhile. But stick to topics like that. Just light, everyday things, and if he tries to deepen the conversation, just go with the flow.” Sansa laughed. “Honestly, you act like you’ve never held a conversation before.” 

Arya deflated. “This shouldn’t be that hard.” 

“It’s not. You’re overthinking it.” she placated. “You’ll be alright. I promise.”

“Let’s hope so, I’m counting on this lunch date to go through most of the afternoon until I have to get him to the party. If I freeze up I have no idea how I’m going to keep him busy that long.” 

“I know how you can keep him busy.” Sansa smirked. 

Arya huffed. “Is that all you think about?” 

“No.” She defended. “But you can’t tell me you’re not thinking about it.”

She felt the heat rise on her cheeks and looked away, fiddling with the cloth napkin at her place setting. 

“Think about what?” Jon’s voice kept her from replying as he slid into the chair on one side of them and Theon on the other. 

Sansa replied before Arya could deflect. “Having sex with Gendry.” 

Theon grinned, Jon groaned. 

“No, we’re not having this conversation.” Jon said, shaking his head and taking a long pull from the beer he’d brought over from the bar. 

“Honestly Jon, you act like she’s still a child.” Sansa scolded him lightly. He glared right back. 

“She is.” he insisted. 

“She’s almost thirty mate.” Theon replied, though Jon took some comfort in the fact that he was at least trying to sound sympathetic. 

“I’m sitting right here you know.” Arya said, but was largely ignored. 

“She’s my baby sister.” 

“But that doesn’t make her an actual baby.” 

“Guys…”

“I don’t want to talk about her sex life.”

“What sex life? Gendry’s the first person she’s shown any interest in.” 

“Guys…”

Sansa gasped. “I completely forgot about that. That makes it so much more romantic.” she looked pleased.

“No it doesn’t. Stop that.” Jon insisted. “Stop talking about my little sister and my best mate.” 

“I thought I was your best mate?”

“I’m allowed to have more than one best mate, Theon, this isn’t primary school.” 

“Guys!” Arya exclaimed finally gaining their attention. “Would you all just take a breath already?” she sighed. “I’m not having sex with Gendry on the first date, I don’t even know if this will go that far. It’s just lunch right now, okay? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” 

“So how did this come about?” Theon asked. 

“I went looking for Nymeria this afternoon and found her in the park with Gendry. He’s been feeding her for the last three days.” Arya explained. “We talked for a little while and when he found out I liked Hot Pie’s too, he asked if I wanted to go for dinner tonight.” 

“Why didn’t you?” Sansa asked. 

“Because I already made plans with you three.” 

“You could have cancelled for that, we would have understood.” 

Theon nodded along, Jon looked a little green as he took another long pull from his beer. 

Arya looked at her sister, incredulous. “I just told him we had plans and suggested I meet him there after Nymeria’s vet appointment tomorrow afternoon.” she explained. “And if everything works out, I can keep him busy all afternoon until we have to be at your house for the party.” 

“Well, we can cross that off our list to discuss tonight.” Theon joked. 

“Arya’s worried she’ll have trouble speaking to him again.” Sansa told him. 

Theon turned to Arya again, a serious look on his face. “Listen, I know we’ve told you this a thousand times and for whatever reason you don’t want to believe it, but Gendry  _ is  _ Crazy about you, okay? The man has it bad, it’s kind of pathetic honestly. So, just take a deep breath and remember he’s just as nervous as you are.” 

Sansa nodded along and Jon was running low on beer. 

“You’ve got this. Just go in there with the same confidence you go into the field with.”

xXx

_ “Are you panicking?” _ Theon’s voice filtered over the phone line. The amusement in his tone did little to alleviate how nervous Gendry was. 

“It’s not funny.” Gendry said. “Stop laughing. I need your help.” 

_ “What help? The hardest part is over.” _ Theon replied. 

Gendry rolled his eyes. “No it’s really not.” 

_ “Yes, it really is.” _ Theon laughed. _ “What are you so worried about?”  _

“I have no idea what to talk to her about. I got lucky yesterday, we could talk about her dog, but we can’t spend all of lunch talking about Nymeria.” 

_ “You could actually. That dog is like her best friend, she can go on about her for hours. If you really want to talk about other things though, ask her about her work, she can talk about that for hours too, and she usually makes it really interesting.”  _

Gendry sighed. “What about after lunch, I was kind of hoping to convince her to hang out for awhile. Where should I take her, the museum?”

_ “No, she works there, she can see that anytime. Take her to the botanical gardens.”  _

“The botanical garden?” he sounded skeptical. It was hard to imagine Arya Stark willing walking around a flower garden, no matter how big it was. 

_ “Yep, I know it sounds weird but our little Arya has a secret love of flowers. Used to spend hours when we were growing up, outside with the gardeners on the Stark’s estate; asking questions, helping out.” _

“Huh, didn’t see that coming.” he muttered. A thought struck him. “What’s her favorite flower?” 

_ “Something called a bleeding heart. I have no idea what that is, so your on your own there.”  _ Gendry hummed to himself.  _ “It’ll be fine, don’t stress. I know this sounds cliche, but just be yourself. Don’t let this go to your head, but you’re a pretty great guy, the odds in your favor.”  _

“Aww, thanks mate.” Gendry teased. 

_ “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.” _ he replied.  _ “I gotta go, Sansa’s got some errands she wants me to run for her.”  _

“Alright, I’ll see you at work on Monday.” 

xXx

Gendry looked so handsome, she almost wished she hadn’t spotted him from so far off, because now she’s panicking again. He was wearing a simple black shirt under a black leather jacket, and dark wash jeans that fit his ass quite well. For a moment she thanked the old gods and new that he decided to wait for her before finding a table, giving him a stellar view of his backside. A part of her wants to turn around and pretend something came up. He’s just so perfect with all those muscles and how tall he is and it’s pretty pathetic how much she can wax poetic about his goatee. 

Yes, she should definitely walk away before she embarrasses herself, but Nymeria had other plans. Arya isn’t sure if she smells Hot Pie’s or Gendry, but the next thing she knows she getting tugged across the street and down the sidewalk where she stops short at Gendry’s feet. He turned and smiled that heartbreakingly beautiful smile. 

“Hi, I’m sorry we’re a little late, the vet appointment ran over.” she said, so far so good, no stuttering.

“That’s alright, I understand. How is she doing?” he asked, crouching down to scratch around her ears. 

“Well, they’ll be able to tell roughly how many puppies she’s going to have by the next appointment. So, if your still thinking about getting a dog of your own…” she left the statement open, and he looked up and smiled again. 

“Sounds good.” he replied. 

“Though, I have to warn you, Nymeria has pack tendencies, you might be stuck with us forever if you adopt one of her pups.” she continued, not entirely sure why she said it. Gendry stood to full height again, still smiling, though it wasn’t quite as big anymore. 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” 

Arya’s quite proud of herself for not grinning like a lovestruck fool, though there wasn’t anything she could do about the blush that over took her face. “Well, um, shall we find a table?” 

“Of course.” 

They were seated on the patio, and ordered rather quickly, and when the waitress was gone there was a lull in the conversation that concerned both of them. 

“So,” Gendry finally spoke up, desperate for this to work out. “What were you studying in Riverland?” he asked. 

“We’re excavating an ancient tomb in the Riverland Valleys. There’s evidence to suggest that we’ve found the tomb of the first Lyanna Mormont.” Arya replied excitedly. He didn’t seem put off by her enthusiasm, which boded well. 

“She’s the youngest Liege Lord in history, right?” 

“Yes, that’s right. She was only ten when she became the head of House Mormont.”

“House Mormont is from Bear Island though, what’s she doing in Riverland?” 

Arya can’t help how pleased she looks by his knowledge, ancient female rulers is a passion of hers, and the fact that Gendry was at least somewhat educated on the subject only elevated her opinion of him. 

“A few of my colleagues think she may have married into one of the houses in the Riverlands. House Tully for example.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“Even if she did marry into another house, which I’m sure she did, the Mormont line has been going strong for hundreds of years, Northern Ladies, especially those who lorded over their people before marriage have a history of being buried with their people not their husbands. It’s a tradition of the old gods, whom the North never really let go of, even as the new gods spread through Westeros after the first War of The Seven Kingdoms.” 

Arya realized she’d been going on for awhile when their food arrived, and she quickly looked away, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. He may have asked the questions but he probably had no idea what he was getting himself into. 

“So, how about you? I hear you got a promotion.” she quickly changed the subject. 

“Yes, I start on Monday, that’s why I’ve been off this week.” 

“I thought it was a bit strange that you were so far from work on your lunch break.” she said. 

He chuckled. “Yes well, gotta take the time while I can. We’re starting the next phase of a project as soon as I get back.” 

“What are you working on?” 

“A new type of prosthetic.” he explained. “Something that connects to the nerves better, better response time to brain impulses. The ultimate goal is to create a prosthesis that acts like the missing limb, with no discernible difference other than the look of it.” 

“That’s incredible.” she replied. “Is it going well.” 

“It is.” he told her, sounding a little excited. “I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we’re very close to a working prototype.” 

Arya smiled at his enthusiasm. Theon had warned him that he was a bit of a nerd when it came to his work, though she wasn’t much better to be honest. It was cute, how much he loved his work, how excited he was, not for his position, but for the actual work he was doing. 

Caught up in their enthusiasm, they lost track of time. “Oh wow, we’ve been here for three hours now.” Gendry said, looking at his watch for the first time since he’d arrived. “I hope I haven’t kept you from anything.” 

“No not at all. Nymeria and I would have just gone home to lounge around. This is much more fun.” she replied. Gendry smiled. 

“Well, if you don’t want to go home yet, I was thinking about going over to the Botanical Gardens. I’ve been here for over a year now and I’ve still never been.” 

“Oh I love that place. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been there. This time of year all the leaves should be changing too.” 

“Well then, maybe you can show me around.” 

“I would love too.” 

xXx

“You never said what you needed to pick up from your sister’s.” Gendry said as her followed Arya up the front walk. “They don’t look to be home, anyway.” 

“That’s alright, I have a key, and she told me where she left it.” Arya replied, stopping at the front door to dig through her purse. 

After spending the afternoon at the Botanical Garden and learning more than he ever thought he would need to know about flowers, Gendry had asked if she would be interested in having dinner with him. He was having the time of his life and he could tell she was too and he didn’t want the day to end yet. She seemed excited at the idea and so they went their separate ways to change for a more formal evening. Afterward, Gendry drove over to pick her up, but as they were leaving she suddenly remembered that she’d forgotten to stop at her sister’s house that afternoon to pick something up and it was too urgent to wait until morning, so here they were, standing on Sansa and Theon’s front porch, waiting for Arya to find her keys. 

When she finally located them, she opened the door and led him through. “Watch your step.” Aray warned him. “Lady leaves her toys everywhere when they go out. I’ll find a light switch.” she continued. It was pitch black in the house, the only light filtering in from the spotlights in the landscaping, and Gendry was more than happy to wait at the door. 

Only a few moments passed before the lights flipped on unexpectedly and Gendry flinched at the intrusion only to look back up as a chorus of “Surprise!” was shouted at him. 

Gendry laughed, looking around the room and counting each of his friends. “Congratulations.” Arya said, drawing his attention to her just to his right near the light switch. “I hope you don’t mind, we’ll have to reschedule our dinner.”

“I look forward to it.” he told her as everyone approached giving him hugs and shaking his hand. At some point someone handed him a beer, and he was quickly folded into the crowd of his friends and colleagues. 

The night progressed quickly, there was laughing and congratulations and teasing at his expense. On more than one occasion his friends were happy to remind him how sure he had been that today would be a disaster and he let them laugh at him all they wanted, because every once and while he would find Arya across the room and catch her watching him with shimmer of something in her steely grey eyes that gave him a great deal of hope. 

He could have lived without Jon’s drunken shovel talk though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly how I planned to end it, but now I have all sorts of ideas for future one shots, so stay tuned, I created a new series for this one. As always you can find me on Tumblr under the same name. I take prompts and requests, though I can't always promise a speedy reply for prompts. I also take prompts for individuals stories/series, so if you have an idea for something in this or another series feel free to send it in and I'll do my best to incorporate it
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr as Dragongoddess13, funkofanatical, and ccmultiverse


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